Bull Trout Redd Surveys in Northern Puget Sound

Bull trout

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are a member of the salmonid family, which includes salmon, trout, whitefish, char, and grayling. Bull trout love cold, clean, complex, and connected streams and other aquatic habitat. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors, poor water quality, the effects of climate change and past fisheries management practices, including the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake, and brook trout, have resulted in local extinctions and population declines of bull trout. This has led to the listing of bull trout as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. Within the Puget Sound Bull Trout Management Unit, there are eight core areas with a total of 57 identified local populations. Bull trout are found in the Chilliwack, Nooksack, lower and upper Skagit, Snohomish-Skykomish, Stillaguamish, upper Cedar (Chester Morse Lake system), and Puyallup River basins. With the exception of the Chilliwack and upper Cedar River systems, these basins all support anadromous bull trout that use Puget Sound marine waters for foraging and migration.

A high priority goal of our agency is to acquire more complete information on the current distribution and abundance of bull trout within each core area of the Puget Sound Management Unit. Annual spawning nest (redd) counts provide a non-invasive way to monitor relative population strength of bull trout. Each fall, experienced fisheries personnel count the number of redds in predetermined stream sections. Not all known bull trout spawning areas are monitored, since weather and remoteness limit the ability to conduct the fall surveys in some areas. Comparison of the count numbers over time can provide insight into long- and short-term population trends and alert fishery and land managers to potential problems within aquatic systems.

Since State funds for surveying bull trout redds was no longer available, we provided money to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to continue collecting this valuable data through return year 2011 and to expand the number of survey sites. Staff from WDFW surveyed for bull trout redds within the Skagit, Snohomish, and Stillaguamish River basins from 2009 to 2011. Their findings include:

• Fewer bull trout redds were observed in the past 3 years than were observed from 2006 to 2008.
• The total bull trout redd count was very similar in 2011 to what was observed in 2010. However, some areas had more redds than in 2010 and some had less.
• The total redd count of all sites (637) was 25% below the average count from the years 2006 through 2010 (850).



You can learn more about bull trout biology, critical habitat, and conservation measures at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout/

 

Elwha River Weir Summary 2011

The Elwha River weir (a temporary trap) was re-installed on August 18, 2011, to count and collect biological data from adult salmon and steelhead as part of an ongoing effort to determine how these populations change as a result of dam removal. A secondary goal is to provide broodstock for hatchery production and conservation during dam removal when turbidity levels are expected to be lethal to fish in the river.


2.340 cfs and still working

Due to an unusually high snowpack (190% of normal), the trap had to be installed at a flow of 1,640 cubic feet per second (cfs). The first fish caught was a sockeye, which was marked and passed upstream. The trap fished continuously from August 18 to October 19, 2011, except for three days when flows exceeded 4,000 cfs. The weir was once again pushed to the limits in 2011, fishing at flows over 2,500 cfs (compared to a high of 2,200 cfs in 2010), which significantly exceeded our weir design expectation of 2,000 cfs. The weir was removed on October 19, 2011, after the removal of a log boom at the Elwha Dam which resulted in the release of hundreds of large logs into the lower Elwha River.

A total of 647 live and dead (carcasses) salmon and trout were captured at the weir during the 2011 summer/fall season, compared to 492 fish captured in 2010. A total of 218 live adult salmon and trout, representing seven different species including Chinook (73), pink (129), chum (1), coho (1), and sockeye salmon (8), and steelhead (3) and bull trout (3) were captured at the weir in 2011.  


Species present in the Elwha River

Fifty-five Chinook salmon were retained for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Chinook salmon broodstock program at the Elwha rearing channel. One hundred twelve pink salmon were also retained as broodstock for the pink salmon captive brood program. This program is designed to protect the pink salmon stock during lethal turbidity levels occurring during dam removal.

In addition to the live fish caught at the weir, 429 salmon carcasses, including 381 Chinook and 48 pinks, were handled. These post-spawn carcasses represent fish that had either migrated upstream past the weir before it was installed or were passed above the weir by weir personnel.

Data collected for fish caught at the weir included, species, fish condition, sex, origin (wild/hatchery), presence/absence of coded-wire tags and passive integrated transponder tags (PIT), fin condition, length, scale samples for aging, DNA samples, and information on adult run timing. Otolith samples were collected from Chinook salmon carcasses.



Sampling a sockeye salmon for PIT tag detection

The weir is planned to be re-installed during the winter of 2012 to capture and count adult steelhead and any other adult salmonids migrating in the Elwha River. In addition to biological data collection, the weir will be used in conjunction with a SONAR system to assess steelhead abundance.

The Elwha River weir project is part of a multi-agency effort which includes the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Olympic National Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), to evaluate the response of adult salmonids to the removal of two Elwha River hydroelectric dams. The weir was funded in 2011 by cooperating agencies as part of their annual budget. Additional funds were obtained through the President’s stimulus program (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) which funded the project through September 30, 2011. The weir is funded through September 30, 2012, with funds provided by USEPA through the Puget Sound Partnership.

     


2011 in Review: Elwha Dam Removal and the Fish Weir

As we reach the end of 2011, we find ourselves wondering how the year went by so quickly and thinking about some of the highlights. For our office, this year will definitely be remembered as the year that removal of two large dams on the Elwha River finally started. Since early September, much progress has been made in tearing down the dams. A time-lapse video of the dam demolition can be viewed at http://www.video-monitoring.com/construction/olympic/js.htm. For more information on the events leading up to demolition and how our office has been involved, visit http://www.fws.gov/wafwo/dams.html.

Elwha Dam on December 23, 2011

Once the dams have been completely removed, it won't be long before anadromous fish will once again have access to the >70 miles of pristine aquatic habitat located upstream in Olympic National Park. We intend to document how quickly these salmon, steelhead, and bull trout populations rebound by counting them on their journey up the river in coming years. In late 2010, we added a post describing the weir structure being operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (in partnership with USGS, NOAA-Fisheries, Olympic National Park, the Lower Elwha Tribe, and our office). To date, this is our most frequently visited story since starting the blog.

   

Elwha River Bull Trout Rescue

This month, in preparation for removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), U.S. Geological Survey, NOAA Fisheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Lower Elwha Tribe participated in a multi-agency effort led by Olympic National Park to capture and relocate Elwha River bull trout from two reservoirs.

Lake Mills (formed by Glines Canyon Dam)

Removal of these large dams on the Elwha River will begin in September 2011 and is the largest dam removal project ever attempted in the United States. Although this historic dam removal will provide fish, including salmon and bull trout, access to 70 miles of pristine habitat upstream of the dams, the removal will also result in short-term water quality levels that are expected to be lethal to fish in the two reservoirs and the section of river downstream of the dams. The cause of the anticipated poor water quality is high turbidity resulting from the release of 17 million cubic yards of silt and gravel currently trapped behind the two dams and sitting at the bottom of the reservoirs where it has collected since the dams were constructed nearly 100 years ago. As a result, the FWS required Olympic National Park to develop and implement a bull trout rescue plan to move bull trout from this area during dam removal.


Helicopter lifting tote containing
40 bull trout destined for the
upper Elwha River

The rescue plan developed by Olympic National Park (and approved by FWS) called for the capture and relocation of up to 100 bull trout from the two reservoirs to locations upstream---Elkhorn and Hayes Rivers. The rescue operation collected 82 bull trout during a 10-day period using hook-and-line sampling and electrofishing techniques. We held the fish in live cages in the upper reservoir until they were flown by helicopter to the two upstream release sites on June 17. We collected a genetics sample and recorded length and weight for each fish in order to monitor how these fish respond to dam removal. We also tagged each fish to determine if the fish remain upstream where they were released or if they migrate back downstream. All 82 fish flown to the upper watershed release sites were alive and doing well at release. Detection of these fish later on will guide fish rescue recommendations for future dam removal projects in other western rivers.

For more information on this project, read the news release from Olympic National Park.

  

Anadromous Juvenile Bull Trout in the Skagit River, 1990-2009

Juvenile bull trout              (Photo: WDFW)

Bull trout are a member of the salmonid family, which includes salmon, trout, whitefish, char, and grayling. Salmonids are particularly known for their migratory nature. Anadromous salmon are an extreme case, spending most of their lives in the ocean but returning to headwater streams to spawn. Resident trout are at the opposite end of the spectrum, spending generation after generation in one stream. Between these extremes are migratory fish that never reach salt water, including adfluvial fish which spawn in streams but live in lakes, and fluvial fish which spawn in headwater streams but live downstream in larger rivers. Bull trout in Washington exhibit all ranges of this spectrum. Many are resident to a single stream, while migratory bull trout spawn in tributary streams where juvenile fish rear for 1 to 4 years before migrating to either a lake (adfluvial form), river (fluvial form), or salt water (anadromous) to rear as subadults or to live as adults. Bull trout are further unique in that individuals within a population can be anadromous while others stay in a river their entire life. Within one population, some fish may reside in tributaries, others migrate into lakes, and still others are anadromous.

Bull trout love cold, clean, complex, and connected streams and other aquatic habitat. Habitat degradation and fragmentation, blockage of migratory corridors, poor water quality, the effects of climate change and past fisheries management practices, including the introduction of non-native species such as brown, lake and brook trout, have resulted in local extinctions and population declines of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). This has led to the listing of bull trout as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. Within the Puget Sound Bull Trout Management Unit, there are eight core areas with a total of 57 local populations identified. Bull trout are found in the Chilliwack, Nooksack, lower and upper Skagit, Snohomish-Skykomish, Stillaguamish, upper Cedar (Chester Morse Lake system), and Puyallup River basins. With the exception of the Chilliwack and upper Cedar River systems, these basins all support anadromous bull trout that use Puget Sound marine waters for foraging and migration.

A high priority goal for the Puget Sound Management Unit is to acquire more complete information on the current distribution and abundance of bull trout within each core area. Additional information is needed on bull trout use of and distribution in estuarine and marine waters of Puget Sound. The anadromous form is unique to this recovery region and perhaps the least understood of all the life history strategies.

The goal of a joint effort between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is to characterize anadromous juvenile bull trout migration and associated environmental variables in the Skagit River. The Skagit River watershed contains 26 of the 57 local bull trout populations and all four life history strategies. A juvenile fish trap operated by WDFW near Mount Vernon (see map below), has collected biological information on juvenile salmonid migrants since 1990. However, the data on bull trout has never been summarized, so we provided funds to WDFW to analyze the 19 years of data they had collected. WDFW recently produced a report of their findings, which includes:

• On average, 186 juvenile bull trout were caught per season (see graph below).
• The fish ranged in length from 90-290 mm, averaging 125-144 mm.
• These fish move downstream primarily at night
• Migration occurs between April and mid-July, with peak catches in late May.
• The trap catch can be used as an index of abundance; however, the trap catch cannot be expanded to a total abundance estimate because it under-represents the larger fish.
• Relationships may exist between anadromous juvenile bull trout and spawner abundance, rearing temperatures, and food availability. Low spawner abundance of pink and chum salmon combined with high stream temperatures may limit early growth of anadromous bull trout.

Bull trout are a diverse species with specific habitat requirements. Successful conservation and management of this species will require an accurate understanding of which habitats are important for bull trout growth and survival, as well as migratory corridors that connect critical habitats. Further understanding the anadromous life history strategy will help us conserve this unique component of the Puget Sound Bull Trout Management Unit.

Download the full report at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/pub.php?id=01173
Learn more about bull trout biology, critical habitat, and conservation measures at http://www.fws.gov/pacific/bulltrout/

Skagit River downstream trap and areas of known

bull trout spawning (WDFW)

Catch of juvenile bull trout in trap (WDFW)



Logjams for Salmon and Bull Trout in the Skokomish River

The Skokomish River is the largest source of fresh water for Hood Canal, a 70-mile natural fjord-like side basin of Puget Sound. It is also the most frequently flooded river in Washington State. The Skokomish River is home to four species of salmon and trout that are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. After years of intense logging, road building and development in the watershed, strong partnerships have formed to turn the tide of worsening conditions and restore the river.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) provided funds to the Skokomish Tribe to complete one of the largest logjam projects in the Pacific Northwest. Through the support of many partners throughout Hood Canal, 30 massive man-made logjams were placed along 1 mile of the mainstem South Fork Skokomish River last summer. These structures were installed to stabilize streambanks, restore stream function, and improve aquatic habitat in a reach that had been cleared for a proposed reservoir in the 1950s. The goal of the project is to improve fish habitat by increasing pools and habitat complexity--large pools create microhabitats where fish can hide and stay cool. 



Logjam construction             (Photo: Skokomish Tribe)

 To create the logjams, over 2,000 second-growth trees were uprooted at upland sites and transported to the stream by helicopter. The trees averaged 100 feet long and were embedded far into the streambanks using excavators. Smaller trees and log sections were then carefully wedged in to create a very complex and dense logjam. Planting of trees along banks and within the floodplains has also begun and will continue in following years.

The structures were placed strategically in a section of the South Fork Skokomish that had few natural logjams. This area, approximately 11-14 miles upstream from where the Skokomish empties into Hood Canal, was heavily logged in the 1950's and 1960's in preparation for a dam that was never built. The lack of streamside structure allowed the river to subsequently grow wider and shallower, causing the water temperature to rise. The addition of these logjams should cause the water to carve out a deeper, more natural channel, result in cooler temperatures, and help retain spawning gravels for the fish to use. In addition, vegetation is likely to grow along the edges of the logjams, eventually shading the river and providing natural structure.

Fortunately, the logjams held up well to last winter’s storms and flooding. Few components of a small number of the jams were lost, while several of the structures even managed to collect additional logs that were floating downstream. As of April 2011, deep pools had already formed downstream of the logjams, creating places for fish to rest, find refuge, and feed. With these habitat improvements, the upper reaches of the Skokomish River should be able to support larger runs of threatened steelhead and bull trout. Additional benefits will accrue for federally-listed summer/fall and spring Chinook salmon, coho salmon, rainbow and cutthroat trout, and lampreys.

Before construction              (Photo: Skokomish Tribe)

After construction                (Photo: Skokomish Tribe)

The Skokomish Tribe sponsored this project. Partners included the U.S. Forest Service, TEAMS Enterprise, FWS, Hood Canal Coordinating Council, and the Skokomish Watershed Action Team. The Skokomish Tribe acquired $729,000 in Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board and FWS grant funding for this project. The Forest Service contributed $525,000, which includes the value of the trees, planning and construction costs.

More logjams are needed downstream of the project area and construction will begin as soon as funding and approval is acquired.